Former doubles world number one Jamie Murray is concerned about the future of doubles in tennis. The doubles category has been one of the oldest categories that have remained an integral part of the tennis calendar.
However, Murray, who won two Grand Slam titles in the doubles, was recently quoted in a report where he highlighted where things are going wrong.
“I read the article and said to a lot of the doubles guys that it’s sad but I agree with him. I feel double is losing its purpose or value on the Tour,” he said.
“I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I think it’s not a great path we’re going down now because it feels like some people wanna kill us, I don’t know (he laughs). It just feels like it’s slowly going downhill and eventually, people are just like ‘It sucks, we don’t need it.
“It just doesn’t do anything for us.’ Whereas, actually, with a bit of care and attention, you could elevate it and bring more value to the Tour. I sent a document to them with all the issues I see. And things that don’t cost money to change.”
Murray further went on to highlight where the problems are and how the authorities need to find ways to have better scheduling in place.
“The double tournament should start on Sunday and its final should be on Friday, because some players don’t want to stay until Sunday because they’re thinking of the next tournament,” he said.
“The Masters 1000 is a big problem because you’re playing the doubles tournament over twelve days which is just ludicrous. Five matches across twelve days is just crazy. So I think they should be starting double on day 1 of the main draw, compress it so the final is next Thursday or Friday.
“Singles players don’t want to wait seven days for the final if they lose in the first round in singles. That, for me, is a no-brainer: enhance the opportunities for these guys to finish the tournament. That’s also valuable for the tournament to keep them longer because the fans will come and watch. There’s a lot of little kinks that could be smoothed out with a bit of care and attention.”
Parabéns aos duplistas campeões, o neozelandês Michael Venus 🇳🇿 e o britânico @jamie_murray 🇬🇧 que conquistaram o @atptour 500 de Doha, conquistando o primeiro titulo no ano e o quinto título na carreira juntos #ATP #QatarExxonMobilOpen #qatartennis #MichaelVenus #JamieMurray
